The changing face of Australia’s nudists

Let’s play a word game. We’ll say nudist and we’re guessing that the first thing that springs to mind is a leathery old dude letting it all hang out on Sydney’s Lady Bay Beach.

Well, think again. Nudism in Australia is having a bit of a renaissance and it isn’t just those well-seasoned at life who are getting their kit off.

The next generation wanting to bare all are a little younger, around the ages of 18 to 40 years old, and are sharing their nudey moments via Instagram.

Now, it might sound like a very lucrative way to garner some new followers. We all know sex sells. But in fact, the movement couldn’t be further from this, says Brendan Jones.

He started the Instagram account Get Naked Australia in 2016 as a bit of a joke. Since then, it’s attracted a cool 228,000 followers. A figure that keeps growing every day.

And at its core, his Aussie followers are enjoying getting back to nature in nature by travelling to beautiful beaches, tourists hot spots and walking trails around the great country that is Australia.

“I think there has been a big shift in naturism in Australia largely due to social media,” admits Sydney-based Brendan. “The Get Naked Australia page, along with a few other pages, show the younger generation embracing that awesome feeling that being naked in nature provides.

“I don’t really think any of the people involved in our page would consider themselves “nudists”. They have just taken a positive and casual approach to nudity, or something that I like to refer to as “situational nudity”. That is, if the suns out and you’re near water why wear swimmers?

“And from the photos we post showing other younger people going to nude beaches and skinny dipping in water holes, it creates a desire for other people do it to and get involved. And once they do, they realize that any fear they had regarding body image is all in their heads and they realize that simply being naked in nature is fun and it’s now a trend.”

There’s been 8,500 photographs on Instagram that have been tagged as #getnakedaustralia, showing some of the world’s most glorious sights accompanied by one of nature’s most glorious sights — our bare bod.

There’s also a rise in groups meeting together to get naked in the great outdoors. Brendan runs one in Sydney and says that each month, they head off on a new adventure.

“There are a lot of nudist or naturist groups in Australia that run things like karaoke nights, naked bowling and the likes but I don’t think that’s the way forward with naturism for the future,” says Brendan.

“I think getting back to its roots of feeling the elements on your skin through outdoor nudity is the way forward. We live in a world where nude beaches are prevalent and that skinny dipping is a common practice.

“Besides, who hasn’t been drunk, stripped off with their mates and gone for a swim. It’s fun and it’s human. That’s why it’s attractive.”

But naturally, there’s some rules when it comes to enjoying some birthday suit time. It’s important to go to area’s that are specifically catering to nudism. Australia is packed with nudist beaches.

And once there, it’s important not to take photos of other patrons or to start enjoying some one-on-one time with a lover, if you’ve brought them along. Oh, and don't forget to cover those bits never seen by the sun before in some sunscreen.